OPEN PERIOD:

SERIES & GRADE:

POSITION INFORMATION:

DUTY LOCATIONS:

WHO MAY APPLY:

US Citizens; no prior Federal experience is required.

JOB SUMMARY:

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

This is a Fish Biologist on the on the Sierra National Forest. This position is responsible for a Forest riparian/aquatic habitat management, protection, rehabilitation, and enhancement program.

This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion Announcement Number 13-05150053-04891G-VR. Current or former Federal employees may apply to both announcements, but should be sure to apply to the Merit Promotion Announcement in order to avoid losing consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. Disabled veterans, candidates with 3 or more years of active duty military service, and candidates eligible for special hiring authorities may apply to the Merit Promotion Announcement if they meet the criteria outlined in the announcement and submit supporting documentation.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Must be U.S. Citizen to apply.

Males born afer 12/31/59 must be registered with the Selective Service.

DUTIES:

Provides technical and staff leadership on issues arising from land use as it related to riparian/aquatic habitat management. Recommends priorities for allocation of final dollars and targets, and tracks expenditures through the year

Provides technical and staff leadership on issues arising from land use as it related to riparian/aquatic habitat management.

Nurtures and creates relationships with Federal, state, local and tribal governments or agencies while developing internal relationships with the agency to foster a positive work environment. Maintains a collaborative approach with external and internal partners while managing conflicting interest or diverse views within riparian/aquatic habitat management.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered eligible for this position. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the appropriate experience requirements.

Bachelor's Degree: major in biological science that included at least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; and at least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.)

OR Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Research Positions:

Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included:

At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and

At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics.

In addition to the basic requirements, the following additional education and/or experience are qualifying. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

GS-12: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level. Examples of specialized experience are: preparing and developing aquatic/fisheries budgets, outyear capability planning and reporting in WorkPlan and national databases such as WFRP. Represented fisheries/aquatics on forest Interdisciplinary Teams. Prepared reports such as aquatic Biological Assessments/Evaluations on complex projects for inclusion into Environmental Assessments or Impact Statements. Developed specific design criteria and mitigation measures for listed aquatic/fisheries species. Participated in informal or formal consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Coordinated with forest and regional staff, other federal, state and local government agencies such as US Fish and Wildlife Service, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, tribal governments, and state colleges and universities. Reviewed contracts and reports prepared by outside contractors. Collaborated with diverse groups and publics where complex aquatic issues are brought forward for resolution. Presented and effectively communicated results of technical reports or scientific papers to public or managers.

To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements as of the closing date of the announcements.

REQUIREMENTS:
May be subject to satisfactory completion of one year probationary period or trial period.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. Eligible applicants will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire. Applicants with veterans’ preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans’ preference within each category.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Housing is not available.

Childcare is not available.

Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide proof of eligibility. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate to be considered. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK: Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin.

You must complete the application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Assistance is available during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be received no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Step1 – Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

Step 2 - Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume into your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

Step 3 - Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required.

You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade, if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 6) other qualifications.

College Transcripts if education is required for meeting basic qualifications and/or you are substituting education for specialized experience and/or you are using education to meet the criteria for the quality category. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required.

DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) if claiming Veterans’ Preference. Veterans claiming 10 point preference must also submit an SF-15 Application for 10-point Veteran Preference. Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within the last 120 days.

Other required documents may include:

CTAP/ICTAP Required Documentation Reduction-In-Force: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from. Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50. Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held. Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.

NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

Agency Information:USDA Forest ServiceDo not mail in applications, see instructions under the How to Apply tab.Albuquerque, NM,
87109United States
Fax: 866-338-3024

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an acknowledgement email that the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Normally, a final job offer to the selected candidate is made within 30-60 days after the issuance of the certificate